Hot Off the Press

AWS Releases New Steel-Welding Specs

Thursday, October 17, 2002

The American Welding Society (AWS) has issued 13 revised Standard Welding Procedure Specifications (SWPS) for welding 10- through 18-gauge galvanized steel, carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel sheetmetal, in the as-welded condition, with or without backing. They outline variables for welding steel using semiautomatic gas-metal-arc welding, shielded-metal-arc welding or manual gas-tungsten welding. Also included are operating conditions necessary to fabricate the weldment.
Each specification, 12 pages long, costs $180 for AWS members and $240 for nonmembers. To see a list of the new specifications or to order, visit www.aws.org.

Stelmi To Debut Unique Chrome-Plating Process

Wednesday, October 16, 2002

Stelmi America Inc., Marshall, MI, is set to begin U.S. operations using an advanced, continuous chrome-plating process that company officials claim is new to the North American market, where batch production is typical. In producing long-length hard-chrome-plated steel bars and microfinished steel tubes, the company will perform chrome plating as a continuous process operation performed on traveling bars. Here, the bars translate and rotate one-by-one through a chrome-plating machine that fully encloses the process, without use of open vats or tanks. This method reportedly provides uniformity of plate thickness and enhanced corrosion resistance.

TriWestern Metals Commissions Electrogalvanizing Line

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

TriWesten Metals Co., Chicago, IL, has added a new electrogalvanizing line. It can handle strip from 24 to 60 in. wide in thicknesses of 0.015 to 080 in, and coils to 40,000 lb. The company also offers slitting, cut-to-length and precision-blanking services.